


Malleable

by couldbemoresonic



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Betrothal Necklace (Avatar), F/F, Fluff, Fluff to Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Korrasami - Freeform, Married Life, Torture, for real, kya and lin have been married, kyalin - Freeform, no one really knows though, theyre married but there is still torture, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27390694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/couldbemoresonic/pseuds/couldbemoresonic
Summary: Korra's eyes kept wandering, but recognition dawned on her, and her gaze came back to the Chief's throat, where a very distinctive stone hung from a velvet ribbon.The Krew do a quick errand for Tenzin, which leads to a surprising discovery, but it turns out that Lin is private for a reason.  Being the Chief of police in such a large city could have consequences, especially with two deranged benders on the loose.Epilogue posted!
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato, Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 68
Kudos: 389





	1. Chapter 1

Tenzin stood up, sighing, from his desk. Grabbing a file folder from one of his drawers, he heard heavy footsteps thundering above his head. The sound of Korra throwing herself down the steps in a hurry was a daily ritual for the inhabitants of Airtemple Island. He walked up to the door and swung it open just before the young avatar blew her way down the hallway.

“Korra, where are you going?” He asked, in his typical fatherly way.

“I'm meeting Asami and the boys in the city, I'll be back late tonight, probably after dinner!”

“Good,” he replied, extending his hand with the file folder in it, “since you're going into town, please bring these to Lin at the station.”

Korra groaned, taking the file from her master's hand, and spinning out of his way to continue down the hallway, “No problem, we can pick up Mako on the way.”

Tenzin nodded and turned to go back into the study with a wave and a quick “be safe,” to which Korra responded with an “uh-huh,” going right back to sprinting down the hallway.

The door was almost closed when he heard a muffled “By the way, I'm gonna borrow Oogie, okay thanks, bye Tenzin!” followed by the swinging shut of another door. 

“KORRA!” he yelled in a very _Tenzin_ voice.

She laughed freely to herself as she sprinted down the hill to where the bison were kept. Korra felt so... peaceful. _Finally_. The nonsense that was the political side of her whole existence had finally quieted, the Earth Kingdom was united under an elected president, she had regained control of her mind, the people of Republic City were living harmoniously with the spirits again, and with the Air Nation so prevalent in the protection of peace in the world, Korra finally had time to just be a kid for a little while. Apart from the odd jobs like Avatar press events, and running files to Beifong up at the station, Korra felt like she was on a summer holiday.

Oogie lifted up his head when Korra came around, happy to see her. “Lets go get Asami, boy, yip-yip!”

* * *

“Mm, where are we headed?” Asami grabbed Korra's hand as she was hoisted up onto the air bison's back. She sat down flush against the Avatar and ran her fingers over the sculpted shoulders and down her arms. Korra worked so hard to get that definition back in her body after Zaheer almost took everything from her, and it had paid off.

“Oh no, you have to _earn_ that information,” Korra replied with a smirk, turning and meeting Asami's lips with her own in a chaste kiss. One that lingered just a second after they parted, eye lashes still fluttered closed, just breathing in the other.

“I guess I'll have to pay you back later,” Asami said low in Korra's ear before placing a soft kiss at the nape of her neck and running her hands up her girlfriend's torso. She felt Korra shiver under her touch; it was amazing how powerful the woman in her arms was, and yet she trembled at the slightest of touches.

“Ah- It's still a surprise though. We- we have to go pick up the boys,” Korra managed to focus on saying. Asami chuckled behind her, wrapped her arms more securely around her torso and let out a big breath as she laid her head on her girlfriend's back. Korra cleared her throat, saying, “Yip-yip Oogie”. And the girls were in the air once more.

* * *

Mako was on duty, so it worked out well that Korra had to drop off papers with the chief. The two girls met Bolin out front on the steps of the station, and he greeted them by hoisting them both off their feet in a crushing hug.

“Mako should be off by now, he'll probably be out any minute.”

“Oh, it's okay, I have to drop something off for Beifong anyway, I'll just go let him know we're here!” Korra said, dropping Asami's hand, and bounding up the steps of the station.

Through the heavy metal doors, Mako was seated at his desk.

“Psst.” The avatar got Mako's attention while fast walking up to his desk and waving at him. “Hey Korra, I'm just packing up, we can head out now.”

Korra nodded, “Great! I just need to give something to the Chief.” Walking past Mako's desk to where the doors to Beifong's office stood.

“She's not in today.” Came Mako's voice from behind her. Korra was visibly confused.

“Where is she then?”

“I don't know, home I guess.”

“Huh.”

“Korra?” Mako prompted.

“Hah, it's just so strange to think of Chief Beifong taking a day off.”

“Yeah, it's pretty rare, I think she started to more often after the whole Kuvira thing. How important are those papers?”

“Err-” Korra's face scrunched up.

Mako sighed,“Nevermind, I'll just look up her address in her file and we can drop them off at her home.”

* * *

To Korra's surprise, (although looking back, she didn't know why she was surprised at all) Chief Beifong answered the door in civilian clothes. Maybe Korra was just too used to seeing the hard metal casing of the chief's usual attire that she almost didn’t recognize Lin for a minute.

Lin, similarly surprised to see the Avatar, her best detective and their two friends at her door, sensed the awkwardness of the situation. She felt her cheeks start to warm before demanding an explanation.

“What are you doing here, Korra?” With her best interrogation face on her eyes flitted to the file folder in the Avatar's hands and then up to Mako.

“I- uh, we -”

“Mako.” She said, waving her hands at the girl in front of her, dismissing her blubbering.

“Master Tenzin said to drop these off with you,” Mako explained smoothly, answering his chief with the professionalism she required while on duty, seemingly unphased by seeing her off the clock for the first time. Korra extended her arms, presenting the documents that she had brought over from Airtemple Island.

An audible groan escaped the chief, who grabbed the files from Korra and turned slightly to the left, leafing through them quickly. “Leave it to Tenzin to ruin my day off.” The group heard her mutter under her breath. Korra peeked into the apartment, the temptation to know what the chief was like out of uniform was too strong right now. She had always assumed that Lin basically slept in her uniform. The place seemed simple enough; it was very Chief-Beifong. Cold granite floors, a gray couch, piles of books on the low table, and large windows. Standing in the door frame in a loose fitting blouse and her hair pulled back into a bun, she looked... feminine. Especially with that necklace.

Korra's eyes kept wandering, but recognition dawned on her, and her gaze came back to the Chief's throat, where a very distinctive stone hung from a velvet ribbon.

“What are you looking at, kid?” The chief asked, glaring in Korra's direction almost daring her to ask. But the Avatar was trained by some of the world's greatest benders and strategists, and she knew better than to accept a challenge she would probably regret.

“Nothing!”

“Good, now get out of here. And Mako, if I have to move apartments because you told anyone where I live, I will personally handle your resignation from the force.”

“Yes ma'am – I mean, sir! Chief. Sir... Chief. Ma'am.” The taller boy was also flustered by the very familiar tone coming from the less than familiar woman standing in front of him.

Without dignifying any of them with a response, Mako was met with the closed door and the group was dismissed.

“Korra?” Asami whispered to her girlfriend, softly touching her palm while they walked, “was that-”

“Yes,” Korra responded quickly, “it definitely was. At least, I think. No, I'm sure of it. I just- I had no idea.”

“But who?” Asami gripped Korra's hand as they walked down the hallway.

“Is this some secret girl talk, or are you two just telepathic now that you're dating?” Bolin asked loudly. “Shut up, Bolin,” Mako said, walking fast, determined to get as far away from the chief's apartment without being seen or questioned.

“Ooh, Mako's afraid of the big scary chief,” teased Bolin quietly, nudging his brother.

“No, well, yes, but... I just- this sounds stupid,” Mako started, getting flustered, “I just didn't realize she was a woman.”

“You didn't WHAT?!?” Bolin guffawed, clutching his belly in laughter. The two girls laughed beside him.

“You know what I mean!” Mako tried to explain himself, gesturing to his general torso, obviously flustered by the Chief's lack of a uniform himself. “At work she's always so...” he gestured again, this time imitating the rigidness of the metal armor she wore every second of every day.

In good spirits, they made fun of each other as they walked down the street to where they had left

Oogie, chomping on some delicious grass in the park.

Korra squeezed Asami's hand before letting go to bend the four of them up onto Oogie’s back. Korra sat behind Oogie's head to steer, and the three other's relaxed into the saddle.

“Yip yip, Oogie” Korra said softly, her mind otherwise occupied, and a blush on her cheeks.

* * *

It wasn't until half way through the ride that Asami appeared behind her, running her fingers through her short hair from where she sat in the saddle. Korra, surprised but so very content with the little touches her girlfriend so often blessed her with, reached back to entangle their fingers.

“So, that was definitely a betrothal necklace, huh?”

Flustered again, Korra responded, “ah, hah, yeah, I think it was. A little darker than the ones I've seen, but I guess that would make sense, since Beifong isn't water tribe.”

“Who do you think made it for her?”

“I have no idea”, Korra said softly, “she's so private, she's never mentioned anything. Not even when we were in Zaofu with her sister. And I couldn't see anything in her apartment that would show that she was even in a relationship, let alone married.”

The two ladies rode in silence for another few minutes, hearts drumming in their chests, fingers sliding against each others' hands.

“So what _is_ the custom then?” Asami asked in a delicate voice that only Korra could hear, “Would I make one for you? Or are you going to make one for _me_?”

If it wasn't for the grip that Asami had on her hand, Korra could have fallen straight out of the sky.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin stresses over rampant criminals, while Kya attempts to help soothe her worries.

Lin Beifong was a simple woman. She didn't have too many pleasures in life, and what she did have, she preferred to keep to herself. Not because she was embarrassed or ashamed, but because things could get complicated as such a public figure in a large city. When she had to share the details of her life with the whole city, it was nice to have some things that were exclusively her own; kept safe in the sanctity of her own apartment.

The paperwork Tenzin had sent over was in regard to a recently open case; an unknown pair of men, an air bender and a metal bender, who were wreaking havoc on the city. They had been kidnapping and murdering innocent citizens, with no perceivable pattern. Tenzin had been called in to assist with an attempt at catching the men, but some good _that_ did. A few of her officers had gotten close to capturing them, only to be foiled by the air bender's elusive skill. One of those officers never made it home. It had been a long week. Lin slumped down onto her couch with the file open in her lap, thumbing through pictures of the crime scenes and casualties. She slammed the folder onto the low table, leaning back and bringing both hands up to rub at her temples.

Two slender hands pressed onto her shoulders, kneading her thumbs into them, before sliding lower over her chest. Gently providing unspoken support.

“Your brother had the Avatar drop these off,” Lin muttered, gesturing to the file. “Things are getting out of hand, and I should _not_ have taken the day off with these lunatics on the streets.”

“Shh, love, you need to relax. We agreed that you need to take time off every week. You can't help anyone when you aren’t eating or sleeping enough. And I’m not complaining about having you home sometimes for my own selfish reasons, either”, Kya said with a smirk. The woman in front of her deflated slightly, rounding her sharp shoulders in on herself.

“We've lost so many innocent people already, Kya.” The chief of police, usually hardened and unbending, was malleable in her hands, speaking softly, deeply disturbed by the crimes that have been committed, and by her inability to find justice for the bereaved. “These two benders... they are a different breed.” Lin turned to her wife, grasping the insides of her wrists with her strong thumbs, and drawing her closer.

Kya was startled by the raw emotion on Lin's face.

Lin's hand reached up and cupped Kya's cheek, her green eyes memorizing each line, each facet of the woman who stood in front of her. “You have to promise me that you will stay safe. I don't know what I would do if I let anything bad happen to you.”

“Lin-”

“No, Kya, I mean it. You- I couldn't...” she trailed off, lips slightly parted, searching for the words to describe the unfathomable idea that she could be forced to live a life devoid of the beautiful blue eyed woman standing in front of her.

Without warning, a memory she preferred to keep buried had surfaced. Lin was suddenly shrouded with the intense feeling of loss that was accompanied by hitting the ground seconds after Amon had taken away her bending. She relived the complete absence of self as she screamed hateful words at the earth that night, gripping fistfuls of dirt and begging them to respond.

Lin imagined that losing her wife would be immensely similar to losing that part of herself.

“I know, my love,” Kya said. She walked slowly around the couch to join Lin. “Do you remember when we married?” She asked, gently.

“Of course.”

“And what about when I gave you this?” Kya ran a finger over the black velvet of the necklace that hung low around her wife's throat. Her voice dropped lower as she moved to sit on her lover's lap, facing her.

“Mhm,” Lin's eyes fluttered closed, just taking in the warmth of her wife straddling her, the hand resting at the base of her neck, the delicate finger on her Water Tribe betrothal necklace.

Lin loved wearing this necklace. Absolutely adored it. Almost as much as she adored its maker. It was a black velvet ribbon with a simply carved stone at the middle. It looked nothing like the one that Kya had worn for years. Kya had ventured deep into the Earth Kingdom to search for the perfect stone. It was a rich black color with shimmering flakes that looked like gold: her elders called it _Nuummite_. They spoke of the stone's resonance with the Earth, and how it had been said that this particular stone signified empowerment and Earthly connection. 

Kya had carved very little into the stone, feeling in her heart that it spoke for itself. On either side of the Nuummite, Kya had attached two very small diamond shaped stones, cut from a meteorite.

After Kya had presented it to her, Lin had come to Air Temple Island to visit Katara and respectfully bowed low at her feet. Katara had responded by scooping Lin into her arms and telling her how _proud_ she would be to call Lin her daughter.

The necklace was more than a piece of jewelry. It was commitment, love, adoration, belonging, security... It was a constant reminder of the overwhelming feeling of love that couldn't be captured in words. It was a physical representation of another half of her soul, a wandering spirit that had nestled her way into the Chief's heart and made a home there. Not that anyone would ever hear her say it like _that_.

Lin Beifong loved feeling like she belonged with someone. And not just _anyone_ \- with _Kya_. Beautiful, caring, carefree, joyful Kya. The daughter of the previous avatar, an incredibly strong woman, and far more than Lin deserved.

But it was love that prevented her from wearing her necklace outside of the privacy of their home. Being the police chief, Lin didn't want to ever endanger the ones that she loved by giving away any personal information that could come back to harm them.

Lin opened her eyes, letting warmth fill her belly and her heart. Her callused hands met her wife's thighs, squeezing them softly and letting them wander up to her hips, and over the muscles in her back. Lin made another small noise of contentment before pulling her lips up to meet the woman above her.

Lin's hands came up to the back of Kya's neck, and her fingers tangled in the small hairs at the nape. One of Kya's long fingers hooked underneath the velvet band, pulling her wife flush against her body. Another low contented noise escaped from her lover's throat.

Kya smiled into the kiss, and slowly pulled away.

“As I was _saying_ ,” she said, pretending to be offended that her thought had been interrupted, “I made that for you because I wanted you to know that I will _always_ be with you, and you will _always_ be with me. No matter how far away I am, no matter if you're wearing it or not.” Lin went to look away, but Kya's gentle hand caught her chin and brought her eyes back to meet hers. “Lin, you have a part of me... a part of my soul.”

“Just promise me-”

“I promise,” her wife replied, “I will always protect you, Lin.” Kya cupped her scarred cheek, and brought her lips to Lin's gently. 

Lin didn't miss a beat, “Mm, I thought _I_ was supposed to protect _you_ . Part of the job description, after all. _Serve and Protect_ and all that,” the Chief muttered against soft lips.

Only to be met with purposeful hands at her blouse buttons and a bold, “Oh, I'll show you how you can _serve_ me, officer.”

With a smirk, Lin wrapped an arm around Kya's lower back and re-positioned them to a much more comfortable bearing on the couch, slipping a knee between her lover's legs, and attending to her exposed collar bones while having her own shirt stripped off of her back.

Their worries melted away as they spent the rest of their day cooking in the kitchen, drinking red wine, and thoroughly enjoying each other's company. In their shared bedroom, looking down at her gorgeous wife bared in front of her, Lin thought to herself she was getting quite used to her weekly day off.

* * *

When nighttime rolled around, the two ladies retired to their bedroom, stripping out of their clothing, washing their faces, and preparing for bed. Lin was a sight to behold, a soft white tank top shrouded in gold from the fading light of the sun, the breeze blew through the open window, rippling the curtains. She faced the small mirror on the dresser and reached back to unclasp the betrothal necklace.

“Can you- can you leave it on? Just for tonight.” Kya asked her wife, “I think it's sexy when you wear it.”

“Oh yeah?” Lin said, crossing the room and climbing up on top of Kya, trapping her on top of their white bed sheets. From above her in the bed, Lin's hair fell delicately over her shoulders, and passed in front of her eyes. It took Kya's breath away.

“Spirits” escaped her lips from under her breath. How was it that this woman, who could make grown men wet themselves, the chief of police, all hard angles and metallic coating… How was it that she could be so...?

So beautiful.

* * *

Lin fell asleep first, arm slung over the bare chest of her wife, face pressed into Kya's shoulder. Kya, enamored with the sleeping form preventing her from escaping, closed her eyes and thanked the Spirits above that she had come to find herself in this position. She allowed herself to drift off to the sound of slow, deep breathing coming from the woman beside her.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the Kudos and Comments, they mean so much!  
> JUST a PSA, as much as I love fluff, the next few chapters will be angsty.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin receives a distress call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a lot of depictions of torture.   
> I am putting this note at the top so you are aware before reading.

Lin woke up long before the sun. A crackling at her personal radio had her jumping out of bed and hurrying to the other room, as to not wake Kya, sound asleep in their bed.

“Chief, come in!” came a familiar voice over the radio.

“Mako? What is the emergency?”

Dead air filled her ears,

“Mako!”

“-back up. Pier 15. Two suspect benders-” the radio cut out again.

“I'm on my way, hang in there kid.”

She threw open her closet and bent her metal uniform onto her toned frame. Chief Beifong left the room with quiet ease. Turning to close and lock the apartment door she saw the double doors to her bedroom left ajar from her speedy exit. The moonlight spilled through the open window, brightening the pale curtains that shaded the bedroom from the rest of the house.

Her face still warm from sleep, Lin grimaced and shut and locked the apartment with a flick of her wrist.

* * *

The fog was dense down at the piers.

Mako had said Pier 15, but he was no where to be seen. The chief glanced up at the moon, high in the sky, thinking it must be around 2 or 3 in the early morning. There was no puttering of boats- there was no traffic of any kind.

“Spirits” she breathed, brows furrowing in anger. Where _was_ he? She unclasped the radio at her hip and held it up to her mouth.

“Mako. Come in, detective.”

Static.

The Chief closed her eyes and held the crackling radio to her forehead in frustration. “Damn it.”

Mako had to be around here somewhere. He wouldn't have called her in the middle of the night if it hadn't been an emergency.

She shut her eyes tightly and let exhaustion wash over her in a wave. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear Kya's melodic voice calling to her, _Come back to bed, love._

Lin slammed the radio back into its holster. The dock was quiet- desolate in the early morning fog.

She was starting to think that maybe the stress of this case was just manifesting in her sleep. That maybe Mako never called... maybe she had just dreamed it.

“ _Damn_ it,” she said again. Lin rubbed her eyes with her fingers and made an about face, ready to head home, back to her warm bed with her barely clothed spouse sleeping soundly. She made a note to give Mako a talking to about appropriate radio usage in the morning. Dream or not.

Lin started walking in the direction of home.

It was strange though. She had had plenty of dreams- far too many of them painful and dark. But the chief was a notoriously light sleeper. She _must have_ been woken up by Mako's distress call- and she wasn't about to leave her best detective alone out here... if he _was_ here.

In a last ditch effort, Lin bent back her metal shoes and stomped down hard onto the earth.

A shiver ran down her body. She _wasn't_ alone.

Two people, shrouded by the darkness, became clear on either side of her. Lin had been watched. She had been followed. Another chill ran down her body. She had been _lured_.

* * *

In the next instant following her seismic read, Chief Beifong dropped wide into a fighting stance. She had been up against worse odds all her life, she could handle two rogue benders.

But before she could summon her cables, Lin felt her feet blown out from under her.

“Ah!” she yelled, falling down on her back.

Beifong caught herself on her elbows, quickly spinning her legs around to get footing again. It was too early for this shit.

She shot out metal cables into the darkness, where she had sensed the two bodies. When they hit nothing, Chief Beifong raised the earth on either side, propelling it toward the shadows.

She heard a grunt, and the Chief felt a quick moment of pride before feeling the sudden sting of a metal whip across her back. The wind knocked right out of her, and she fell to a knee, coughing.

On the inhale, her eyes widened, and she clutched at her chest, and then at her throat...

There was no air for her to breathe.

A sickening laugh came from behind her, and heavy footsteps approached her from behind. Lin threw earth up at where the sound was coming from, doing anything to get out of the air bender's grip, but the edges of her vision went black as she fell forwards onto her hands before collapsing completely onto the cold ground. Lin's last thought was of Kya, sleeping peacefully in bed, bathed in moonlight.

* * *

Chief Beifong was woken by the sickening sound of metal being torn. Usually the sound of metal crashing and whirring made her feel safe; secure. But this was _unholy_.

Her eyes fluttered open and fixed on the metal bender. A sturdy looking guy with short dark hair and beady eyes. Even though he was on his knee in front of her, his posture was dropped into an earth bending stance that Lin recognized from years and years of training

Lin's vision was blurry, her head was spinning, she thought she would be sick. She couldn't focus on anything except the sound of ripping metal.

_What was that? What was he doing?_

The man kneeling in front of her pulled out of his stance and suddenly, he was inches away from her face.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

Lin clenched her jaw and struggled to take a deep breath. Her hands and feet were bound together with something non-metallic. Rope, it seemed from the feel of it... She couldn't focus. Dizzy, she shut her eyes and tried to feel for her surroundings seismically.

“Having trouble? You'd be surprised to know how important _air_ is for _all_ benders.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear “turns out you need to be able to _breathe_ in order to bend.”

He laughed again.

Suddenly recognizing the great threat to her life, Lin thrashed, pulling her legs and arms together, trying to break free of her bindings. Trying to bend.

Could she _ever_ bend? Did she get her bending back after Amon took it? What was going _on_?

Screeching metal pulled Lin back out of her thoughts, and she yearned to cover her ears.

Instead, she forced her eyes open again to see the bender in front of her pulling thin strips of metal out of nowhere. Sheet after jagged sheet was being pulled from her stomach and discarded on the floor.

“You know... you look quite womanly out of this uniform, Chief,” uttered her captor.

Lin's eyes flitted from the man to the pile of scraps beside him, her brows furrowed, and her bound hands grabbed at her abdomen. Instead of meeting the familiar touch of metal, she grabbed at the soft hem of her sleep shirt. The one she hadn't had time to change out of before answering the distress call.

The distress call from Mako.

“Where's my detective?” Lin was surprised to hear her words slur together.

Lin's head lolled forward to her chest, unable to keep it up. Half of her armor had been ripped off of her torso, torn into shreds, and was laying on the floor in ruins. The man was tearing away strips at a time, and with her arms and legs bound, her bending failing her, and the oxygen level keeping her weak, there was nothing she could do to stop him.

“Oh, he's probably at home. We don't need that kid. Had bigger fish to fry, Chiefy.”

“Then how-,” Lin's voice came out as more of a whisper.

His voice was low and raspy- not one that she recognized, “Oh I know a man with some impressive talents. Air benders can do such marvelous things... My friend here has a special instrument, one he crafted himself. It helps us...” he smiled grotesquely, “Well, it helps us get what we want.”

Only then did Lin recognize the presence of a second body in the room.

“And what _is it_ that you want?” Ever the good police officer, the Chief Beifong knew that the best way to get criminals to slip up is to keep them talking.

“All we want,” he reasoned, putting a finger under her chin, “is _respect_.”

Lin almost rolled her eyes. Guys like these were a dime a dozen. She had seen far too many cases of men who abused their power, bending or no bending, just trying to _get respect_.

“Respect from the Chief of Police... heh, now that's _worth_ somethin'...” He bent low and got close to her face, his breath smelled foul, “You'll respect us, eh, Chiefy?”

Lin pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Give her some space.” Came a second voice, smoother than that of the metal bender she had been speaking with. This must be the ever elusive air bender. “Chief Beifong,” he turned his attention to her, ushering the smaller man back with a hand, and taking a knee in front of her, “it is so nice to finally meet you. Do you know who I am?”

“Yeah,” Lin spit, “you're the sick freak whose been terrorizing my city, and I'm going to lock you away for life. That is, if I even bother with the law.”

“A nice sentiment... I wonder, Chief. You are so quick to judge me and my friend here, but you don't even know us. All we want is a working relationship with the police.”

This time, Lin really did roll her eyes.

She heard him sneer, “The police have been getting far too close to ruining our fun, and we can't have that, now can we? Believe it or not, Chief Beifong, you _will_ respect us when we are done with you.” The man reached out a hand towards her and twisted it in a full circle. “I'm sure we will have fun getting to know each other.”

The air became thin around her, and Lin felt her eye lids become heavy and her breathing more labored.

“I'm sure we can work something out. We wouldn't want anyone _else_ to get hurt because you were being a stubborn _bitch_.”

A shiver ran down her neck and back, and she was suddenly very aware of what _else_ she didn't have a chance to take off this morning.

* * *

Lin didn't know how much time had passed before she managed to open her eyes again. This time her cell was dark. Too dark to make out any of her surroundings.

She thought of her mother.

Too weak to bend, she fanned one hand out on the ground, begging for some sort of response.

Anything at all. But the room she was being kept in was made entirely of wooden planks. Lying on the floor, she glanced up, and noticed the moon, just a sliver now in the sky, peeking through a crisscross patterned window.

A frustrated groan escaped her throat, and hot tears pricked at her eyes. No one knew where she was. She had left her darling wife at home, sleeping soundly in their bed. Kya was probably still warm, snoring lightly under their silk sheets. Soft skin that Lin might not get a chance to touch again.

 _Spirits_ she found herself begging to anyone who would listen. But she wasn't sure what she should beg for. All she could think of is the feel of Kya's hair, and how beautiful her long eyelashes looked with her eyes half closed. _I'd like to go home_.

Darkness was quickly approaching and Lin fell into a troubled sleep once again.

* * *

The next time she woke, it was the metal bender again, meticulously scrapping her uniform straight from her body. The ghastly screeching of metal was torture in itself.

“Where's my detective?” She breathed.

“Oh, you're awake! Good, I wanted to show you what I've made,” came the metal bender's raspy voice. He stepped away from where Lin lay on the floor. He bent down and picked up the end of a large loose coil of metal... It was a long string of metal, made from scraps, twisted around each other, metal sticking out in parts. “We would love for you to reconsider our offer of working together with the police force,” came his raspy voice.

The chief glared at him, “You're insane.”

She didn't recognize what it was that he had made until the metal bender raised his arm and brought it down on her exposed abdomen with a sickening crack.

Lin's screams echoed off the walls of the cell until the crack of the crude whip was the only noise in the room.

* * *

She didn't think it was possible, but the air bender was even sicker than the metal bender. Watching from a corner of the room as Lin gasped for breath, physically stretching her arms out, begging for him to let her breathe again. He would give her just enough oxygen to fill her lungs, even enough for her to sit up on her hands and knees, sweating, crying, and then he would laugh, and let her collapse again to the cold floor, asphyxiating.

“You want me to _know_ you? Talk!” Lin managed to wheeze, “Why are you doing this? How did you get Mako to call me?”

“Ah, now that's an interesting story, actually.” He stepped out of his stance, and Lin took her first deep breath in what felt like days. “It turns out that _voice_ is just air through some tubes and flaps. I've practiced and experimented plenty, but I think I'm getting pretty good at perfecting my new instrument.”

Lin was confused... was he saying that he... that he could _replicate voices_?

“It's sad, you listen to someone for a few days, and practice pitch with my new invention, and suddenly you can lure out anyone who has ever cared about them.”

“You're sadistic.”

He ignored her, “That, paired with my friend's intricate knowledge of metal and wires, it is easy to tap into phones and radios. And people are too easily swayed by _love,_ love makes you _stupid_.” He spit in disgust.

He grasped her chin and forced her to face him, “You understand me, right, Chief? I heard about that breakup with the avatar's son... that must have been very painful for you. Rejection, heartbreak, loneliness... Humans would all be much stronger if we could renounce _love.”_

He let go of Lin's chin violently, “I mean, look at all of these fools who I have managed to manipulate just by pretending to be someone that they loved.”

The man turned to walk away.

“And now they're dead,” he almost laughed.

Lin snarled in response.

This man was sick. He was preying upon people by exploiting their loved ones. Ripping children from their homes, torturing them for fun. Stealing husbands from their wives, mothers from their children. He wasn't doing it for _respect_ , he was doing it because he was _deranged_. He had no use for human life. He had been wronged, and now he was wronging others. This man was dangerous.

* * *

At night they let her sleep. Bound to the floor, angry, alone. She had no idea how long she had been missing for and she didn't know if anyone was out there looking for her. These criminals had been so difficult to pin down, Lin knew there was a very slim chance of her ever being rescued.

She found herself wondering why she couldn't just die, let the air bender take her life, end her suffering. They were down to the last bits of her armor now. All that was left were her shoulders and her neck. And then she would be bared, completely vulnerable.

If she could bend, she could manipulate her uniform, but she could not connect with it.

Despite her best efforts to stay awake, Chief Beifong succumbed to the blackness of sleep.

* * *

Choking, she awoke with a start. A new day had begun, and the pair were back to have their sadistic fun.

“You've had your fun, now finish the job. I want her out of that uniform.”

Lin's blood ran cold. She had been hoping that maybe someone would have come for her by now. With a firm foot to her chest, Lin found herself on her back, with the metal bender standing over her. She forced her eyes to stay open as his hand descended, grabbed her chest plate, and flung it backwards into a crumpled heap. She heard it slam against the far wall.

Her captor stood over her and paused for a minute.

“What is _that_?”

Lin ground her teeth together, staring daggers at the man who had taken pleasure in torturing her for days on end.

“What is _what_?” replied the air bender, momentarily releasing Lin from his torturous grip, and she took a deep breath.

“ _This_.” The metal bender reached down again, this time, grabbing a fist full of hair and pulling Lin up to her knees. He tilted her head back and bared her neck for the air bender to see.

“ _That_ ,” he said, slowly, contemplating his words, “is disappointing. The Great Chief Beifong, fallen prey to the evils of _love._ I really thought you were better than that. _”_

The air bender was growing more irate by the second. He grabbed her by the chin, pushing callused fingers into her cheeks, “You are scarred and bitter. Who would ever want to marry _you_?”

Lin's response was immediate.

Spitting in his face, she raised her eyes to his, “Wouldn't you like to know.”

“You shouldn't have done that.”

The air bender reached down with his left hand and ripped the necklace off of her neck and threw it across the room.

“He's not coming for you,” he sneered.

Lin laughed for the first time in a long time.

Her captor released her face only to wrap his unnaturally large hands around her throat and squeezed until Lin's limp body hit the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: torture

Kya woke up when the sun settled on her face.

She rolled over to a cold bed.

_ Ah,  _ she groaned to herself, pushing up onto her elbow. She clenched her eyes closed and opened them again. She remembered the static of the radio, the sliding of bare skin against hers as Lin had left the bed while it was still dark. She must have gotten a call last night. None of that was unusual, when you're secretly married to the chief of police, you wake up alone most days.

She threw her bare feet over the edge of the bed and padded her way over to the mirror over the dresser. Strange, Lin's necklace was gone. She is usually very meticulous about removing it before work. Kya knew the dangers that came with marrying Lin, and her very stubborn wife made a point of reminding her whenever she got too loose lipped about it.

“I guess I'll head down and pick that up, then.”

Kya glanced at the clock on the wall, it read 7:15.  _ I'll bring her lunch. I can pick up her necklace then without being too noticeable. _

* * *

At 12:30, Kya blew through the doors of the precinct. Lin really didn't like work surprises, but she thought that her wife might enjoy  _ this _ one. She had whipped up some of Lin's favorite curry, 

“Mako, I need to speak with the Chief, I'll just let myself in.”

It was no secret that they had grown up together, a surprise lunch visit from Kya wouldn't be suspicious at all.

“She's not here.”

“Is she out on assignment?”

He sighed, “I don't know. She's not here, she's been taking more days off. She's probably at home-”

Kya's heart suddenly got caught in her throat, “No- She- She got a call-”

“Kya what are you talking about?” Mako stood up from his desk, sensing Kya's growing distress.

“Last night, she got a distress call-”

His eyebrows peaked in confusion, “-how do you-?”

But she breezed by him and flung open the Chief's door. Her sudden panicked state surprised Mako, 

“Kya, you need to relax, she probably just overslept-” Mako followed her to the doorway and peered into a dark room, window shades down, desk chair neatly pushed in, just like the Chief had left it.

But Kya's face was pale, box forgotten in her hand, “She didn't.”

* * *

The trip to Air temple Island had never felt so long. Even with Mako driving a police issued satomobile. Kya could not shake the horrible sinking feeling that something was wrong.

_ How stupid  _ that she waited so long to check in with her.

How stupid that she didn't reach out for Lin's hand in the early morning, beg her to stay, ask where she was going.

Mako didn't ask questions. He was a good kid, Kya knew why Lin liked him so much. His aura was calm and flexible. He had a good gut. Mako had sensed the urgency of the situation and ran with it. Kya appreciated that about him. She would thank him later, when Lin was found and safe.

* * *

Tenzin had been paged from the precinct and was at the shore waiting for them.

Kya spoke quickly, going on about Lin receiving a call in the middle of the night, leaving, not saying goodbye...

Mako wasn't completely following the story- how would Kya have known about a distress call?

But Tenzin and Bumi stood in front of her with very serious expressions, and Mako accepted that there was information that he was not yet privy to.

“Mako,” Tenzin's voice cut through his thoughts, “I need you to call Korra, you can use the phone in the temple, I trust you know her number?”

“Of course.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bumi wrap his arms around his sister, who seemed to have finally run out of words.

“Good, take care of that. We will meet you here on the docks, tell Korra she needs to be here as soon as possible.”

Mako started briskly off up the hill.

* * *

Korra was arriving already by the time that Mako had returned back to the docks and a game plan was being set in motion.

“Shouldn't we get the police on this?” Mako suggested, finally feeling caught up with the danger of the situation.

It was Tenzin who responded, “Mako, Lin received a distress call in the middle of the night from her personal radio. You work closely with her, is there anyone outside of the police who has that frequency?”

“No, the radio is a closed circuit, only police radios should be able to contact it... I don't understand though, who called her? How do you know about the call?” he turned to Kya, palms open, but the conversation had surpassed him again.

Tenzin turned back to Bumi and Kya, “If there's a chance that the police are in on this, then we can't risk involving them.”

The group turned to see Korra arriving at the docks, arms stretched out behind her in an impressive display of water bending.

“Korra, good, you're here” Tenzin spoke.

“What's wrong? Mako just said there was an emergency-”

It was Kya's voice who came out, “Lin's been taken.”

“Taken? Taken by who?” Mako was slightly relieved that he wasn't the only one who seemed out of the loop. His relief was quickly replaced by guilt for feeling such a way when his boss had been allegedly kidnapped.

Tenzin jumped in, “The file I had you bring over to Lin's house the other day had sensitive information about an open case, a string of kidnappings and murders in Republic City... There are two suspects, a metal bender and an air bender. Lin was giving that case top priority. They must have gotten her.”

“Well, were there any leads in the case?” Korra asked, “Tenzin, you had the file.”

Tenzin pondered, trying to recall the specific information.

“The file mentioned something about the mountains to the North. Last week when the police ran them out of town, they fled North. Maybe if we take Oogie, we'll be able to cover more ground.”

“Well what are we waiting for!?” Kya snapped at Tenzin. Mako was growing less surprised by her behavior by the minute, but he was quick to notice the flash of surprise that crossed Tenzin and Bumi's faces.

They piled into Oogie's saddle, Tenzin sitting behind his head.

Korra met Mako's eyes before bending them up to meet the other three.

As the mountains drew closer, the color of the rock became more clear. Kya's hands gripped the side of the saddle until her knuckles turned white. The sting of the wind whipping her hair against her face was a good distraction from the tears threatening to prick up in her eyes.

* * *

Kya knew the job was dangerous.

She even knew that her selfless and stubborn wife was far too willing to sacrifice herself in order to save others.

But  _ Raava, _ she didn't  _ want _ her to. She didn't  _ want _ her wife to be married to the job. She didn't  _ want  _ to have the most selfless woman in the city. She didn't  _ want  _ to have to share her beautiful wife with anyone. She wanted to rescue Lin and run away- far away from anyone who could hurt her. Kya would protect Lin for the rest of her life. That's what she had promised. Just like when they were kids. The tears were threatening to spill over now.

“Kya?” A large hand landed on her shoulder, “How are you holding up?”

Bumi's voice was quiet, speaking so that only she could hear him. Bumi was always the sensitive one. He always knew when Kya needed support.

Kya searched for the words, but found none.

* * *

“How do we know we're even searching in the right place?” Her voice was tired, raspy, but no less warped with worry and concern. Tenzin was worried that it bordered on desperation.

“We don't”

“It's been three days, Ten, what if we don't find her in time? What if- What if...” Kya couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She felt hollow inside.

“Lin is the strongest person I know. She's dealt with a lot in her lifetime. A lot of suffering,” he said with a hint of remorse in his voice, “and a lot of bad guys. She's okay. I know she's okay.”

* * *

“ _ This is getting old,” Lin grit out between clenched teeth. The two men circled her, walking slowly around the wooden cell _

“ _ What would you have us do?” _

“ _ Well you're going to have to do -” she gasped for her next breath, “something.” _

“ _ We can let you go, Chiefy, but then you gotta play it by our rules.” _

_ It had been days, and no one had come for her yet. It was time to start playing their game. “What are your terms?” _

“ _ We never want to have another run in with the police for starters.” _

“ _ Ah, yes, because you two are such-” another breath “upstanding citizens.” Lin couldn't help the sarcastic remark. These two were not the brightest criminals Lin had ever encountered. The air bender seemed to own the larger portion of the brain that they shared,but even they had to admit that their plan was not as well thought out as they had originally believed. They were used to small fish. Average nobodies who would beg for mercy at their hands. They got off on it. But they had no idea what to do when it came to Chief Lin Beifong. She would be as immovable as the Earth itself. _

_ The metal bender raised his whip and brought it down on Lin's back. A whimper escaped her lips, sweat ran down her forehead. _

“ _ What have we told you about talking back? Don't you know who's in charge here?” _

“ _ Just part of my charming personality.” Lin mumbled. _

_ He brought the whip down again, where her shoulder met her neck. Lin had learned that there were no right or wrong answers here. She had tried the non-responsive act, but found that sometimes she would get twice the punishment. She might as well have some fun with it. _

“ _ Aren't you getting tired of me yet? I'm a boring old woman, what do you even want with me? What's your  _ plan _?” _

_ Unfortunately, Lin had seemed to hit the nail on the head. _

“ _ You know what, you're right,” the air bender waved his hand towards her, and turned to walk away, “if you won't help us, then-” he put a hand on the metal bender's shoulder, “-we're done with you.” _

* * *

Kya hadn't slept in days. They had been the longest, most arduous days of her life. Tenzin had tried to encourage her to go back to the city, to go home, just for the night.

“ _ Home _ ?” Kya had choked out, a mix of horror at the thought of being in that apartment by herself and disbelief that Tenzin thought she could  _ ever-  _ ever consider an empty apartment  _ home _ without Lin in it. Without the soft sighs, the gentle laughter, the smell of curry on the stove, Lin's strong muscles moving under one of Kya's shirts, quiet moments on the couch, Lin reaching over and stroking Kya's fingers absentmindedly... The thought of their home devoid of Lin's light was... unbearable.

Bumi placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and pulled his sister into his side. Tenzin wrapped his arm around them both. Lin meant a lot to each of them. She had always had a good rapport with Bumi growing up, and he had always admired her strength, even when she was young. Lin had saved Tenzin's family more than once over the course of the last few years, and despite their complicated history, they had become strong allies again.

Kya returned only to Airtemple Island when Tenzin and Bumi insisted that they had to get supplies. Mako had left from there, he had returned to the police precinct to try and head off any leads on that end.

Tenzin showed her to her old room, but she did not sleep. In the small hours, Kya walked barefoot down to the cliffs where she used to go as a teenager and dangled her feet over the edge. The cool breeze caressed her face, and memories stirred.

Kya closed her eyes to fight back the tears, and she prayed to anyone who would listen.

* * *

Leaning low in the saddle, Bumi put another big X on a quadrant of a map. In the last five days, they and the Avatar had searched high and low in the North Mountains. There were only a few quadrants left on this map, and if they didn't yield anything, they would be back to square one. Bumi raised his head and glanced over at his baby sister, who was sitting along the edge of the saddle, looking out over the range of the mountains, her eyes unfocused. He hated seeing her this way. And with each passing day, it was getting worse. Kya was doing everything in her power to hold onto hope, it seemed, and with every hour it became a heavier burden to bear.

Tenzin and Korra were talking in hushed tones and pointing over to a mountain that they thought looked familiar... or maybe it was just that after staring at mountains for five days, they all started to blend together.

Bumi folded up his map and scooted over next to Kya. He opened his mouth to say some encouraging words, but was cut off by a sudden break in the silence.

A guttural scream echoed off the vastness from below them.

Kya's eyes, which had been unfocused and empty, were now alert.

“Tenzin!” Kya called to him, “There!”

Her finger fixed on a rock cluster at the base of a mountain where the scream had come from.

Bumi gripped his sister with one arm and the lip of the saddle with the other as Tenzin grabbed the reins, and led Oogie into a steep dive towards the mountain.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read and appreciate every comment, and love every kudo!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team locates Lin after almost a week of torture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: torture

The screams got louder as Tenzin, Korra, Bumi and Kya approached on Oogie's back.

Bumi held onto his sister as Oogie plunged towards the mountains. Korra had already launched herself off of the bison and was free falling towards the rocks before opening her glider at the last minute. Tenzin guided Oogie down and landed him behind a rock formation large enough to conceal their group. Korra glided down to the ground beside the bison with an update, “They're keeping her in a crate under the rock. There’s a skylight at the top of the crate that pokes through the rocks, that will be our best way to access her.” Korra pauses, “I don't know what's preventing her from bending... do you think maybe they were able to take away her bending again?”

Korra hated to think that someone could go through that more than once in their lives… Just once was enough for any person to bear. Surely Lin Beifong had suffered enough trauma in her lifetime.

Kya shuddered at the thought. She didn't know what it was like to lose such an intimate part of yourself first hand, but she had witnessed the shattering of Lin’s spirit back then, and would never wish that kind of turmoil on  _ anyone. _ Kya was sure that Lin had suffered from plenty of nightmares on her own, but she was glad she didn't have to suffer alone any more. After many years of reassurance, and coping, she could finally sleep through the night... But Kya was sure that if they could make it out alive, Lin would have a whole new set of nightmares.

“The men in question are a metal bender and an air bender. I don't think that they would have the capability to take away her bending. They must be-” Tenzin chanced a glance at Kya, “they must be subduing her in another way.”

Kya's eyes turned cold. “Let's go.” She grumbled, removing the water from her pouch and leaping out from behind their cover.

Bumi followed her, against Tenzin's disapproval. Bumi loved an old fashioned plan, but he knew that there was no way that they would get Kya to sit down and strategize right now. The best thing he could do was to follow her steadfast into battle and rely on quick wit.

Kya and Bumi approached  the skylight Korra had mentioned. It was so well concealed, that it seemed to be part of the rock formation itself. There was light coming from inside. Vaguely Kya could make out a figure casting deep shadows on the floor boards below them. They watched as he exited, leaving just the light of the oil lamp and a dark shadow in the middle of the  room . The room was large, it would be a steep drop to the ground below. Kya glanced up at her brother, who was making a sawing motion with his hands and pointing to the wooden grate.

She pulled out a thin stream of water, pocketing the rest, and focused on sending the water back and forth over the wood in order to saw through it. A technique her mother had invented on her travels with her father.

She cut through about half of the planks before she heard groaning. Her heart stopped.  _ Lin _ .

She must have said it out loud, because Bumi motioned for her to be quiet, and a soft shuffling could be heard from below.

The door swung back open, and for a brief moment, Kya saw the silver hair of her wife as she struggled into a kneeling position.

“You're still alive?” A man's voice came from the doorway, “Allow me to remedy that.”

Kya was frozen.

The man's hand was outstretched towards Lin, who doubled over, clutching her chest, coughing.

He relinquished her and she gasped, but no words came from her lips.

“Nothing to say, Chief? You've been so talkative... I wonder what's changed.”

His arm outstretched again, and Lin fell back onto her elbows.

_ They're suffocating her. _ The realization dawned on Kya like a ton of bricks. Kya watched as her wife struggled to remain conscious, while that wretched man deprived her of oxygen over and over, just enough to force her to struggle.

“What will your last thought be? Come now, you have the opportunity to go out thinking about whatever you want. Will it be a childhood memory? Perhaps your greatest achievement? A lover?” Kya was shocked back into reality. Bumi was making a move for Tenzin and Korra, who were occupied with another person. She didn't have time to think about that. Kya kept sawing, as fast as she could.

“Or maybe it will be about how you will die here, all alone, forgotten.”

Overwhelmed by the horrible scene unfolding before her eyes, Kya responded without thinking. Using the water in her pouch as an extension of herself, she jumped and used the water whip to catapult herself through the weakened window.

“ _ Kya, no! _ ” came Tenzin's voice, but she didn’t hear it. Only hearing the rush of blood in her ears, her instincts take over.

Her water whip follows her, and she hurls it toward the beady eyed man who has his hands outstretched towards Lin. But before the water could even touch him, he dropped into a new stance, and waved both hands, evaporating it with a gust of hot air.

The Chief doubled over, gasping again as he relinquished her from his grip.

His eyes were trained on  _ Kya _ , and so were his hands. Suddenly, the air was thin. Thinner than it had ever been before.

Kya's eyes were locked on Lin's face, her eyes wide, mouth still open, yelling... something...

A raspy voice calling her name is the last thing she hears before her world goes black.

* * *

“You are going to die,” Lin declares, looking straight at her captor; a challenge. She doesn't know where her voice had come from. She suddenly feels strong again, like she could fight an elephant bull and survive.

“Oh, no,” his eyes flitted to Kya's crumpled form, “not  _ me. _ ”

The blood drained from Lin's face.

“I am going to kill you.” Her voice comes out like ice, “I won't even bother with locking you away. You don't deserve that. No one will bat an eye if I give you the death penalty right here, right now.”

But the air bender didn't even bother with a response. His full attention was now on the unconscious woman that had the Chief all riled up.

“Un-cuff me now. Fight me like a man. Come on! You're just afraid you'll lose to your torture victim. Show me how  _ strong _ you really are. Isn't that why you brought me here? To prove something to me?”

But nothing. He had no response to her outburst, and the crate was filled just with the sound of his heavy breathing, and his dense footsteps as he made his way towards Kya.

Lin struggled harder than she had in days. Thrashing against the ropes that bound her.

“Let me  _ out,  _ fight me,  _ kill _ me! What the _ fuck _ do you  _ want _ ?!” She couldn't help the desperation dripping from her words. If Kya died here.. so close, while Lin was so helpless... she didn't have the energy to think about it.

Her captor stopped walking.

“You are very keen on protecting this one, huh? Water Tribe by the looks of it...” A sickening recognition crossed his face that made Lin want to vomit, and if there was anything at all in her stomach, she would have. He pushed Kya over with his foot, revealing her face, “-is it possible?” he drew his words out slowly, “Could  _ she _ be the one who gave you  _ that _ ?”

He gestured to her betrothal necklace, crumpled and discarded by the metal bender on the other side of the crude cell.

Unwillingly a growl escaped Lin's throat, pure murder in her eyes as she locked gazes with her captor.

“What a shame,” he squatted down next to Kya and stroked her face. “She was so pretty.”

Lin thrashed again. Adrenaline kicking up in her system. She searched, slamming her feet on the ground, but she was blind. There was no earth to bend, no way for her to sense if Kya's heart was still beating.

All she could feel was the thrumming of blood through her veins. Why was her blood so  _ loud _ .

It dawned on her. Blood. Blood had iron, right? If water benders could do it, why not metal benders? Maybe she could propel some into his eyes. Or worse, maybe she could bend  _ his _ . Stop his heart all together. Stop him before he took away everything she had to live for.

Chief Beifong tore her eyes off of her wife crumpled on the floor, and searched for the familiar feeling of metal calling to her from inside his veins. She couldn't feel anything. In utter desperation, she tried feeling for her own blood, pumping through her veins at an all time high, but again, met with silence.

Toph's reprimands echoed in her skull,  _ platinum is a pure metal, it is not mixed with earth, and can not be bent.  _ The iron in blood must also be pure, and therefore useless to her now. 

“No, please,” Lin's voice came out no louder than a whisper, “Kya, wake up.”

The laughter of this sick man echoed off of the wooden walls of the cell, “Pathetic.”

“Kya, sweetheart, please...” the adrenaline was leaving her body, and suddenly she couldn't keep her head up any more. In horror, Lin realized that there was a good chance that they would die here. And then blackness swallowed her again.

* * *

Kya came to when Bumi hoisted her up under her arms, and pulled away from the fight. Tenzin and Korra made quick work of the rogue air bender who had captured and tortured Lin. The guy was a one trick wonder, and there's no way he could suffocate two master air benders on his own. The trio had already subdued the metal bender outside. He was masterful, but three on one, and up against the avatar, he barely stood a chance.

“Bum-” Kya started, trying to push him off.

“We got it, Kya, take it easy,” he replied. He pushed up and they were projected out of the box with air bending.

“No! Bumi you let me go right now. I need- I have to go back for her!” Kya's tears were back, this time there was no stopping them from spilling over. She just needed to touch Lin, just needed to feel her skin under her fingers. To know that her heart was still beating. Kya had been too late. She felt sick. Her body violently doubled over, and Bumi couldn't tell if she was retching or sobbing or screaming, or some combination of all three. He scooped her up and brought her back to Oogie.

“Kya... Kya, Korra is with her now. They are going to bring her back here. She- Everything's going to be alright,” Bumi's words landed on deaf ears, and honestly, he wasn't sure if what he was saying was even true. But he could not leave his sister now. Not when she needed him the most. He threw his arms around her in the saddle. They would wait it out together.

* * *

When she woke up, the Chief was being hoisted up by Korra, and propelled out of the forsaken box that had held her for days.

“Korra,” Lin choked out. Her voice strained.

“It's okay, Lin, I've got you now.”

“My – Where's Kya?”

Korra answered in a much softer voice, “She's safe. She's okay.”

“Thank the Spirits,” Lin's voice came out in a sob, and her legs gave out.

“Woah,” Korra tried to steady her, and helped her to the ground.

Chief Beifong clutched the dirt with her hands, and choked out another sob before wiping her face on her arm.

Korra hesitantly put out her hand in a comforting motion, but Chief Beifong shrugged her off, moving to stand on her own.

“I'm fine. I can walk.”

Korra sighed, and flung Lin's arm over her shoulders.

Stumbling and struggling to breathe, the Chief was secretly relieved at the assistance from the young Avatar. They walked along in silence for a few steps before Korra broke the silence.

“She's- you two are married, aren't you?” Korra probed delicately.

Lin sighed, deflating slightly. Korra thought that her silence was enough of an answer.

“I'm supposed to be able to protect her,” Lin responded finally.

“You did protect her! You risked your life for her. You even volunteered to die in her place. That's more than the majority of people would do.” Lin didn't respond.

She was quiet for a moment, but then something dawned on Lin and she reached for her neck, turning back towards the cell she was kept in for almost a week.

“Don't worry, I've got it,” she heard Korra say calmly. Lin turned back to the young avatar and watched her produce the betrothal necklace from her pocket.

Lin accepted the necklace, and stopped to clip it back into place. Her callused fingers touching the velvet band, and setting the stone right at the middle with such a care Korra didn't know the Chief was capable of. The two walked in silence for a while, until they reached Oogie.

“Uh-” the Chief started, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand, “thanks, kid.”

Korra just smiled and nodded, she went to bend them up onto the saddle, but Lin threw out her hand, her eyes said  _ let me _ , and she finally felt the wonderful thrum of earth beneath her feet.

* * *

Kya, seated on the other side of the saddle, reached her hand out to the Chief, who all but fell to her knees in front of the long haired water bender. Bumi stood up, smiling, and patting Lin on the back, jumped off of Oogie to assist Tenzin. Kya took Lin's face in her hands and pulled their foreheads together tenderly. The Chief's hands gripped Kya's arms until they turned white. Kya's thumb brushed away something on her cheek. Korra assumed it was a tear. She watched their lips meet, almost like there was nothing else in the world. Korra couldn't help but think of Asami. What it must feel like to think you'd lost that someone. Your other half; the person who made you better just by existing. She remembered the utterly lonely feeling of Raava having been pulled forcibly out of her and destroyed while she could only watch.

Suddenly, Korra was longing to touch Asami, to hold her close and feel her heartbeat against her skin. Lin's hands went to Kya's cheek, and her wife gripped her tighter and pulled the Chief down almost on top of her.

The two women broke away, Lin's face was red, and her jaw line was rigid. Korra knew how hard it was to fight back tears; she had watched Kya do it for almost a week. Kya's eyes flitted from Lin's to her shoulders and arms, and a sudden look of panic crossed her face. Kya sat up on her knees and, despite Lin's struggle, pulled her dirty and ripped sleep shirt over her head to reveal long red lashes over her stomach and back.

Kya's gasp was almost lost in the shuffle, as she ran her hands up and down her wife's torso. She reached for her water pouch only to remember that she had emptied it when she jumped down to save Lin. Korra watched as Kya frantically searched for water, while Lin, somehow still having energy after five days of being tortured and held hostage, reached for her wife to slow her down. The soft reassurances coming from her lips were surprisingly gentle.

“I'm okay, love. It's okay.”

Kya's hands finally rested on Lin's cheek, and she pulled her back in for another kiss. Lin's arms, covered in bruises and red streaks from the whip, came up and wrapped around Kya's lower back, pulling her flush against her body, now covered only by her chest wrappings.

Korra's face reddened. The scene felt like something she shouldn't be allowed to watch. It was too intimate, too private for her to be sitting in on. She turned away. Korra left them murmuring in hushed tones in the saddle, and plopped down behind Oogie's head. Tenzin and Bumi would stay and take care of the subdued criminals until backup came. Korra was charged with bringing their sister and the Chief home.

* * *

Twenty minutes into the flight, Kya looked down at Lin, she was fighting a losing battle against the pull of sleep. Lin's body would need significant rest after what she had endured. Kya had seen the lashes on her skin, and the burns from the rope on her wrists and ankles. And that was just skin deep. Constant suffocation would have been taxing on her heart and her brain. Kya was amazed that she had even lasted this long, and despite her best efforts, a choked sob escaped her lips. Kya covered Lin with a blanket she'd pulled from the emergency supplies, and lay down with her. She ran her fingers through Lin's hair, “Never leave me again... Please never leave me again” Kya whispered, barely audible over the rush of the wind.

* * *


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the comfort for all the hurt I've put you through <3 Thanks for commenting and kudosing... it means the world

Kya sat on the edge of the bed watching her wife shrug on a collared shirt over her bare back. Part of her treatment was that she was not allowed to wear any chest wrappings to prevent restriction of her lungs. Lin wasn't too thrilled about that. Or any of her treatment, really. In typical Chief Beifong fashion, she tried to get up and go to work as soon as she woke up the day after her rescue. It was a good thing she lived with a professional healer, otherwise she'd probably be dead from self deprivation by now.

“All I'm saying, Kya, is that I don't know how I feel about having a bunch of kids in our space. Why do they even need to know?”

“We talked about this already, my love, they deserve to know the truth. This is the kind of thing that you share with people you love.”

Lin turned and knelt in front of Kya, “I know. I just-” she trailed off, thumbing the hem of Kya's blouse absently.

Kya cupped her cheek, “I know.” she said softly. Her eyes flitted to the fresh new scar that wrapped up and around Lin’s shoulder and down her back. Kya had spent hours healing her lover's wounds, but this one was too old for her to erase completely. Lin was saved further damage by her wrappings, but the scar at the base of her neck would remain. Shaking herself from her thoughts she continued, “But it will be good for all of us. Korra already figured it out, and Mako deserves to hear it from you.

“I don't understand why we had to invite my niece and Bolin...” Lin grumbled.

Kya laughed. After all this woman had been through, she had never changed.

Lin looked up at her laughing wife, and almost cracked a smile. They were so close to never having this again.

Kya's nimble fingers started doing up the buttons on Lin's shirt for her.

Lin grumbled, but let her, “We still have time to uninvite them and you could take this _off_ of me instead,” she suggested, leaning in to kiss the nape of Kya's neck.

She smiled.

“As tempting as that sounds, you have had too many days in bed, and now we have to be gracious hosts.”

“Damn.” 

Once she was fully buttoned, Kya stood to look at her beautiful wife. The bruises had healed, and after a week in bed, Lin was looking as radiant as ever. She hummed to herself pensively and quickly unbuttoned the top button of Lin's shirt. “That's better”, she said, turning towards the dresser. Lin fiddled with her collar, and melted backwards into Kya when she pressed up against her from behind.

Kya brought her arms around her, and clipped her betrothal necklace into place at the base of her throat. She earned a soft hum from her lover, who turned around in her arms.

The breeze blew through the open window, bringing the sounds from the street into their sanctuary. Familiar boisterous laughter came drifting in. “That sounds like our company,” Kya breathed.

“Hmm.” Lin was still holding her gaze steady, brushing a silver lock of hair back behind Kya's ear. “Kya..”

Kya pressed her cheek into Lin's palm.

“I love you,” the words slipped out no louder than a whisper. 

Before Kya could say anything in response, Lin's hand had traveled to the nape of her neck, pulling her lips down to catch them with her own. Her other hand snaked around Kya's waist, holding her languidly. 

Kya sucked in a breath of surprise when Lin's tongue had passed over her bottom lip, and she gripped Lin's waist, losing herself to the tidal wave pull that was Lin Beifong.

The doorbell rang, and the two women reluctantly released each other. Kya's heart fluttered at the sight of Lin, with slightly ragged breath and her cheeks and chest warm from the short intimate moment. Others may claim that she was unbendable like platinum, but Kya knew the truth. In the right hands, this woman was as malleable as gold.

* * *

Kya answered the door for Korra and Asami who arrived with Mako, saying that Bolin and Opal would be on their way soon. Lin had gone to the kitchen to prepare the meal for the night. Kya gave them a small tour, and Lin could see the pieces fall into place in Mako's eyes from where she stood. He looked from Kya over to Lin, who just shrugged in his general direction, and went back to cooking, a small smile playing on her lips. Kya finished the tour and poured drinks for their guests just before Opal arrived with Bolin in tow.

It wasn't long before Mako appeared at the kitchen doorway. Lin would never admit that she was a little nervous that maybe the young detective she had grown unknowingly fond of would disapprove of her situation.

Mako spoke first, “Uh... Chief?”

She put down the knife she was using to prepare dinner and wiped her hands on a towel on the counter before turning to look at him.

“Do you need any help?”

Lin paused for a second. The boy had just figured out that his boss had a secret wife at home, and all he wanted to know is if she needed any help cooking?

“Chief?”

“Oh, uh... yeah, sure kid”, she handed him the knife she had just been holding, and motioned for him to take her job, while she busied herself with the next part of the recipe. The two worked alongside each other in silence for a few minutes.

The smell of the vegetables simmering on the stove and the sound of laughter drifting in from the living room was comforting.

Beifong figured that she should probably say something to him. She cleared her throat, “Uh, Kya... mentioned that you were a great help when I went missing. She said you acted fast and didn't ask too many stupid questions.” A smile tugged at her lips, but she kept cleaning the bok choy.

“Just doing my job, Chief.”

“You sound like me,” She chuckled in response. “Thanks, Mako,” she said after a beat, “for everything.”

He paused chopping but never looked up, “Of course.”

They both busied themselves with work before Mako spoke again, “Chief? I just want you to know...” he cleared his throat, “I would do anything for you. A-and Kya, too. Well, I guess, maybe not _anything_ , but... You're the best boss I've ever had. And I'm honored to be a part of your team.”

Despite his fumbling, Mako's words were surprisingly sweet.

“Well... Thanks... again, I guess. For everything.” She paused, “You're a good detective... Most of the time,” he chuckled... It had taken him an embarrassingly long time to realize why Kya had reacted so strongly to Lin's kidnapping, “And you're welcome here any time, kid.” She added, softly.

The Chief glanced at him through the corner of her eye- he was struggling to hold back his smile.

Lin chuckled, and threw her bok choy into the pan. She gave him a good pat on the back, and almost lost her footing when he suddenly turned and gave her the quickest hug known to man. It was really more of a squeeze than a hug, but Lin could feel the blush working its way up the back of her neck. Before she could even register what had happened, Mako was back to the chopping block, working happily, as if the last few seconds never even happened.

Lin smiled, and continued on in the kitchen, stealing a glance at her wife talking to Korra over by the window. Kya's smile was radiant, effortless. And Lin remembered to thank whatever Spirits allowed her to survive the hell she had been trapped in, if only to witness this moment, to cherish one more day surrounded by people who loved her.

* * *

“Kya, I was wondering if I could talk to you? About … Avatar things.... Water bending...”

“Uh-huh” Kya said, inquisitively, and stood up, to walk with Korra over to the window, away from the warm conversation. She chanced a glance at Lin in the kitchen, Mako was in there with her, she had put him to work prepping. Kya could only imagine the kind of stunted conversation that was going on in there, and she chuckled to herself softly. Neither one was particularly good with words or emotions. Let alone _emotional words_. 

“Is everything okay, Korra?” Kya said quiet enough so that only the young avatar could hear her.

“Yeah, yeah, everything's great,” She glanced back at Asami, Bolin and Opal on the couch, “I was just wondering...” Kya's eyebrows went up, “when did you give Chief Beifong a betrothal necklace?”

 _Oh_ , Kya's mouth popped open in an O shape. 

“Like, when did you... know... when did you know she was the one?”

Kya glanced back up at Lin, who met her eyes and smiled. “Oh, I've always known.”

“Always? But didn't she date Tenzin? How did that work out?”

Kya laughed, “It's a long story for another day. Looking back, I may not have realized it then, but our souls have always been drawn to each other. We took the scenic route. Did our own things; we went years without speaking, but eventually we found our way back to each other...” Kya trailed off, remembering the look on Lin's face when Kya had presented her with the necklace. “Are you looking to make your own necklace in the near future?”

Korra rubbed the back of her neck and glanced down at her feet. “I was definitely thinking about it.”

Kya smiled, and put a warm hand on the avatar's shoulder, “She'll love it. You should speak to your mom. I'm sure she would love to help you craft your own. And if you need any help, you let me know.”

“Thanks, Kya.” Korra smiled at her and then turned to head back to her friends.

* * *

Later that night, Kya had hugged everyone goodbye, and Lin had stood awkwardly beside her, with one arm slung around her waist comfortably, and shook hands with Mako.

The door was locked again, and the night was over. Kya kissed Lin's cheek and made her way over to the kitchen, swaying her hips dramatically as she went, and with a sweeping motion, pulled her top up over her head and discarded it on the floor. _Spirits,_ Lin loved this woman. How was it possible that she knew _exactly_ what she needed? How did she know that her heart needed to be healed as well as the rest of her body? Lin grabbed an opened bottle of wine from the tea table and followed Kya into the kitchen, unbuttoning her shirt as she went.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Drop a comment if I made you feel anything <3
> 
> New work coming soon


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